


let’s forget to pretend we don’t know the rules

by finkpishnets



Category: Wizards of Waverly Place RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-09
Updated: 2011-04-09
Packaged: 2017-10-28 13:01:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/308137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/finkpishnets/pseuds/finkpishnets
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which David is an annoying annoyer who annoys, Justin is cute, Jake is hot, and Selena hates everyone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	let’s forget to pretend we don’t know the rules

**Author's Note:**

> I was watching new Wizards and this happened. I blame it on a lot of things but mostly the realization that a) Jake would, for three months of the year, be the same age as Justin, and b) Jake suddenly got hot. Set during the latest season with mention to the episodes Jake wasn’t around for.

“So,” David says, eyes glittering with too much amusement for Selena’s liking, and it can’t be the Justin thing again because she’s already had to hang up on him twice when he’s phoned just to laugh until he’s breathless. “Justin.”

Or maybe it can be.

She sighs, smiling at the waitress as she puts their drinks down before throwing him a glare.

“Yeah, yeah,” she says, “I get it. It’s hilarious. Get over it already.”

David smirks. “Hmm. No, sure, it’s totally normal for you to be dating the King of the Tweens. I mean, wow, you guys must have so much in common what with you both being, uh…”

Selena rolls her eyes. “For your information, we have loads in common, and even if we didn’t, I _like_ him.”

“I’m assuming it’s not the sex,” David says, and not for the first time she regrets ever agreeing to this whole _exes who remain good friends_ thing because he seems to think it’s okay for him to talk about aspects of her life he has _no actual right to talk about._

“That’s none of your business,” she says, and then throws her napkin at him when he laughs.

“I’m sorry,” he says eventually, “you’re right, it _is_ none of my business. And, seriously, I’m glad you’re happy.”

“Thanks,” she says, nudging his foot with hers under the table and hoping he understands how much that means to her.

“I do find one thing strange though,” he says later when they’re full and lazy and fighting over who pays the bill, and she hums questioningly whilst trying to surreptitiously pass the waitress her credit card. “Just, Justin’s the same age as Jake.”

Selena’s never thought of it that way before.

 

+

 

It’s always been really easy to see Jake as the baby, what with his height and his voice and his tendency to fall asleep on any given surface halfway through filming, and linking the image of her on-screen younger sibling with the image of her boyfriend just- Doesn’t work. So, they were born in the same year, but only _just_ and besides, age means nothing, _everyone_ knows that.

She sends Justin a text to wish him luck with his show later and then forwards Taylor a link to a cat dancing to Queen on her way to the studio, exchanging pleasantries with her driver.

“Hey,” David says, nodding a goodbye to the lighting guys who hang back to have a last smoke before briefing. “Ready for another magical week?”

“Lame, Henrie,” she groans, “never try stand-up.”

His mature response is to stick his tongue out and she has to bite hers to stop herself saying _I wouldn’t, I know where that thing’s been_ because they don’t talk about things like that anymore without excessive amounts of alcohol in their systems.

David turns his head to say something and then stops, smiling over her shoulder.

“Jake!” he calls, and Selena turns around just in time to see Jake’s answering wave as he shakes off the wardrobe assistant balancing too many shirts in her arms. “Dude, it’s been a while.”

“I know!” Jake says, hugging David tight. “Man, I’ve missed this place.”

He turns to Selena with a lopsided grin that takes up his whole face, and it’s not until he wraps his arms around her that she realizes just how _tall_ he’s gotten.

“So,” he says, pulling back, “is it true you’re dating the Biebs? Because, _dude_.”

“People seriously need to get lives of their own,” Selena says sweetly, and flips David off when he snorts.

“Seriously though,” Jake says when David’s wandered off, tugging her close to his side, “you good?”

“Yeah,” she says, leaning her head on his shoulder unconsciously and briefly wandering when she was suddenly able to do this. “I’m glad you’re back.”

He winks at her, grinning _hello_ to a few crewmembers as they walk by, and it’s only when he’s headed off to briefing that she realizes she’s _blushing_.

It’s _really weird_.

 

+

 

The thing is, Jake isn’t Jake anymore. Or, okay, so he is, but not the Jake that she’s used to, the one who begs the crew to bring their dogs to set so he can play fetch with them out in the parking lot on his breaks, the one who moans about having to do schoolwork between takes, and it’s disconcerting.

But not as disconcerting as the fact that she kind of has to admit that Jake’s, well, _hot_.

“You look troubled,” David says, leaning over her to grab a roll from Craft Services, “you’re not pregnant are you?”

“Hilarious,” Selena says wryly. “And also, I hate you.”

“Great, what have I done now?”

“You have complicated a situation that should never have been complicated,” she hisses, and David holds up his hands innocently.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he says, and then: “Is this the sex deprivation talking, because I could have a word with Justin-”

“Why do I know you?” she says, and he grins.

“I put your life in perspective. You need me.”

She hates the fact that he’s a little bit right.

 

+

 

Justin phones her from halfway across the country and tells her about the interview he did that morning and the new songs he’s working on, and she hums and talks about filming and doesn’t mention the fact that she’s looking up pictures of him online just so the conversation feels more real.

“You’re cute,” she says randomly, and he stops in the middle of describing the photo shoot _Seventeen_ want him to do.

“Thanks,” he says, and she imagines he’s blinking, “uh, you’re cute too.”

“Hmm.”

“Hey,” Jake whispers, sticking his head ‘round her dressing room door, and she grins.

“I’ve got to go,” she says to Justin. “I’ll speak to you later.”

“You didn’t have to hang up,” Jake says, “I was just bored. Figured I’d come annoy you.”

“S’okay, we were done anyway.”

“Want to go hack David’s twitter account?” he asks, eyes glittering, and she laughs, watching the way his smile widens in response.

“Yeah,” she says, “I really do.”

 

+

 

David’s giving her that _look_.

“I know what you’re doing,” she says, and he raises an eyebrow questioningly.

“Oh yeah?” he says.

“You are an annoying annoyer who annoys,” she says, and resists the urge to kick him in the shin. “And once again I feel the need to point out that I hate you.”

“Your life would be so much easier if that were true,” he says, and then: “Broken up with Justin yet?”

“And why,” she asks, “would I do _that?_ ”

“I don’t know,” he shrugs. “Maybe because you’re busy making eyes at your co-star. And this time it’s not me.”

“I never made eyes at you,” she says, “and also _keep your voice down_.”

“I love when I’m right,” he says with a dramatic sigh. “It makes life worthwhile.”

“Oh, shut up. This is all your fault, by the way.”

“Actually, it’s probably more realistic to blame the fact that Jake apparently now has muscles. Have you _seen_ his arms?”

“Are you sure you’re not just transferring your feelings onto me?” she says sarcastically, and David grabs his stomach in mock laugher.

“Seriously though,” he says, “you might want to break up with Justin before anything happens and you get chased down by twelve year olds with pitchforks.”

“ _Nothing_ is going to happen,” she says. “But you’re probably right about the pitchforks.”

“You know,” David says after a moment, “I kind of like seeing this new kinky side to you.”

“Oh _please_ ,” Selena says, rolling her eyes, “this is _nothing_ as you know perfectly well.”

He laughs. “Yeah, but younger guys? I’m verging on impressed. You _do_ make the perfect vixen.”

She scoffs and reaches over to punch him in the arm before offering him a haughty and only mostly sincere “thank you.”

 

+

 

“It’s raining,” Jake says, blinking, and Selena shrugs and wonders if he’s just channeling his character or if he has a point. “I mean, it’s raining and you’re standing out here alone. Why?”

“Just thinking,” she says, and then: “Oh God, I’m turning into Taylor.”

“I’m telling her you said that,” he says, grinning, and she returns it as she brushes damp hair out of her eyes. “So, come to any life affirming realizations? Written a country song?”

“You’re sixteen,” she says before she can stop herself, and he shrugs.

“Well, I can’t say that’s _life affirming_. Maybe you should leave this to the professionals?”

“No, I mean-” She sighs. “Never mind.”

“No,” he says, frowning, “what’s up?”

She isn’t entirely sure that _I like your arms_ is an appropriate response, but neither is _when did you get so hot?_ or _I kind of want to do kinky and inappropriate things with you and not just because it’s been way too long for me,_ so-

“I think I’m going to break up with Justin,” she says instead, and Jake’s lips curl down with worry.

“Oh,” he says, “are you sure?”

“Yeah,” she says, “yeah, I think it’s probably for the best. You know, if I survive the Revenge of the Tweenage Girls.”

“I promise to save you from as many die-hard Beliebers as I can,” he says seriously, and if her responding laugh is a little desperate then he doesn’t point it out.

 

+

 

Taylor sends her twelve messages ranging from _call me if you need to talk_ to _SERIOUSLY, CALL ME, I NEED TO KNOW EVERYTHING!!!!_ and Selena knows she can only avoid her for so long but she also doesn’t know how to explain that the reason she’s currently on so many teen girls’ Most Wanted lists is because she wants to do highly inappropriate things to her sixteen year old co-star without it sounding wrong and creepy.

Which it kind of is.

“It’s not _that_ weird,” David says, rolling his eyes at her dramatic whining, and he doesn’t even have the courtesy to flinch when she throws a cushion at him. “Justin was seventeen; there’s hardly any difference at all.”

“There is _so_ a difference,” she says. “And besides, as one of the people who almost laughed themselves into a coma over my dating Justin, your point is invalid.”

“ _Yes_ ,” he says, “but I wasn’t laughing because of Justin’s _age_ , I was laughing because he’s _Justin Bieber_.”

“I really, really hate you.”

“Sure,” he says, patting her arm condescendingly. “Now, want to tell me how you plan to seduce Jake? Because I have a feeling it’ll be even funnier if I know how it was _supposed_ to go.”

“There will be no seducing,” she says, and hopes it doesn’t sound as petulant out in the open as it does to her own ears.

“ _Okay_ ,” David says slowly, “so what _is_ the plan?”

Selena sighs, stealing the cushion back so she can bury her head in it, and wondering when _this_ became her life; she’d kind of thought that dating Justin Bieber would be the weirdest thing that happened this year.

“There’s no plan,” she says, voice muffled, “because I’m not going to do _anything_.”

David blinks. “Oh,” he says, and then: “ _oh_ , shit. You really like him.”

He moves to wrap her in a hug, his fingers drawing soothing shapes on her back, and she kind of remembers why she keeps him around.

 

+

 

She focuses on filming and writing and watching the entertainment channels to see which ones are painting her as a bitch and which are just amused by the whole thing (Ryan Seacrest has a hard time talking about the break-up with a straight face on E! News and she resolves to send him cookies or something) and it’s pretty easy to ignore all other aspects of her life.

She’d waited until they’d been face to face to finish things with Justin because she’s not actually a horrible person, and he’d been confused and a little upset but nothing earth-shattering and she figures that means they can probably come out of this as friends, and, honestly, if she can come through everything with David and still have him as the first name on her speed dial when things between them had been the definition of _complicated_ then this should be easy.

Jake shoots her worried looks from time to time, hugging her close between takes, and she doesn’t have the heart to tell him it’s not helping, just breathes against his t-shirt and resists the urge to curl her fingers in the fabric and hold on tight.

 

+

 

“Come on,” Jake says, catching her by the hand as she walks past, and she’s so focused on keeping upright in her heels that she doesn’t register where they’re going until he drags her into the props cupboard, and, _okay_ , kinky thoughts.

“Uh,” she says, “hi?”

He throws her a grin over his shoulder from where he’s crouched down by a crate, and she curls her fingernails into her palms.

“Here,” he says, waving her over.

The crate’s been laid out with chipped plates she thinks they used on the show two seasons ago and bottles of soda, and there are sandwiches from the place downtown she _craves_ and it’s all very date-like and spontaneous and _romantic_ except for how Jake’s just smiling up at her cluelessly, like this is the sort of thing he does every day, and now she thinks about it, maybe it _is_.

“What’s this for?” she asks, keeping calm as she slides down the wall, smoothing out her skirt so it doesn’t crease.

“I figured you needed cheering up,” he says, “and food’s always a pretty good bet with you. Also quiet.”

“Thank you,” she says honestly, because feelings aside, Jake’s always been the best at noticing what people need and she loves that about him.

They talk about their next scenes and their plans for the weekend and Taylor’s new mission to date every hot name in Hollywood, and it’s fun and easy and leaves her feeling giddy happy in a way she hasn’t in a long time. By the time her phone buzzes with a message from David – _I don’t want to know what you’re doing but it’s ten minutes to show time_ – she’s let herself relax completely.

“How you doing with the break-up?” Jake asks, balling up the trash and throwing it in a plastic bag, and Selena shrugs.

“Fine,” she says. “I mean, I can’t really look at the trending topics on twitter right now, but other than that things are okay. And now I don’t need to deal with people mocking me for my choice in boyfriend, so.”

“Eh, they were just jealous,” he says, “Justin’s the man.”

“Right,” she says, rolling her eyes, and he laughs.

“No, really. He made it so that guys like me have hope of one day getting girls like you,” he says. “Seriously, he’s the every-man’s hero.”

She doubts he has any idea what he’s just said, and she should let it go because he doesn’t mean it, not like that - _probably not_ anyway - but she’s always been the girl who’s unashamed of her feelings and not afraid to go for what she wants and he’s been screwing that up for her lately without even knowing it, so she only hesitates for a second before leaning forward and kissing him.

He makes a sound of surprise against her lips but doesn’t pull away until she does.

“What was that for?” he says, looking wide-eyed and shell-shocked, and she instinctively licks her lips, watching the way his eyes follow the action.

She’s trying to think of a valid explanation that doesn’t involve the phrase _I own handcuffs and they’re lonely_ because he’s not _David_ when the sound system blares to life calling everyone back on set.

“We should go,” she says, and he nods distractedly, tripping over his own feet a little as he stands up.

She probably shouldn’t find it as endearing as she does.

 

+

 

They have to shoot the afternoon’s scenes twelve times because people are used to the chemistry Selena and David unconsciously transfer onto Alex and Justin, but nobody’s really ready for that chemistry to be between Alex and _Max_.

 

+

 

David’s shooting her questioning looks across the set and she’s just glad that the director wants to go over his next scene so he can’t drag her into a corner and start asking awkward questions.

Although she might prefer that to the way Jake says: “We need to talk.”

The go outside, ‘round the back where the crew go to smoke and the paparazzi can’t get any shots; it’s not raining but the clouds overhead are threatening it and she feels that’s strangely appropriate.

“So,” he says, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck nervously. “You kissed me.”

“Yes,” she says, tipping her head to one side to gage his reaction and feeling kind of smug at the way his cheeks are flushed.

“Is that what people do when they’re rebounding?” he asks, and it seems like such a genuine question that she can’t help but laugh.

“I’m not rebounding,” she says, “on account of how _I_ broke up with Justin. And I should probably point out that the two events weren’t exactly mutually exclusive.”

“Oh,” he says, startled. “ _Oh_. Seriously?”

It’s the first time since this whole stupid thing started (and she still needs to pay David back, the bastard) that Jake’s looked his age; he’s wide-eyed and unsure and _hopeful_ , and it makes her breath catch pleasantly in her chest.

“Yes,” she says, “kind of. Is that weird?”

“Yeah,” he says, “but also awesome. Is this when I point out I’ve had a crush on you _forever_? I mean, to be fair, I’m pretty sure _everyone_ has, but still.”

“Oh,” she says, and if she’s smiling then that’s totally allowed and not completely lame. “Right.”

They stand just looking at each other for a bit, and Selena realizes, not for the first time, just how _attractive_ she finds him.

She’s not sure which one of them moves forwards first but she has a feeling it might be her, and this time it’s a proper kiss with _pressure_ and _reciprocation_ , and it sends sparks shooting all the way down to her toes.

“So, hey,” she says when the tension’s reached new and amazing heights and her fingers have slipped beneath his t-shirt, his curled around her hips, “you’re not adverse to things that are, oh, I don’t know, _physical_ , right?”

“Oh,” he says, “I get it; you’re using me for my body.”

“Absolutely,” she says solemnly, digging her nails lightly into his skin. “Now, would you mind not talking? You’re ruining the atmosphere.”

“Sure,” he says, “I know my place. It’s cool.”

She nods. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

He smiles down at her and it does that thing to her chest that she’s not sure she’ll ever get used to, and she can already hear David’s hysterical laughter when she eventually gets ‘round to telling him, but for now she leans up (and _God_ , she loves how tall he’s getting) and kisses Jake again, moaning a little when he pulls her closer.

“You’re kind of a vixen, huh?” he says, and she can feels the words hot and breathless against her lips.

“So people tell me,” she says, and honestly, she’s never felt prouder.


End file.
